Patrick J. "Pat" Tiberi is already gaining notice as a member to watch in the U.S. House of Representatives. Within two days of beginning his first term in office, Tiberi was named to a pair of major committees, the Education and the Workforce Committee and the Financial Services Committee.

Tiberi (pronounced TEE-berry), a first-term Republican representing portions of Franklin and Licking Counties and all of Delaware County, used his position on the Education panel to play an important role in writing H.R. 1, the landmark education reform plan that was signed into law by President in Bush in January 2002. Language written by Tiberi and Rep. Mike Castle establishing a pilot program to empower local school districts to better meet local educational needs was included in the new law.

The Tiberi-Castle "super local flex" program allows up to 150 school districts across the country to mix and match funding from four separate federal education programs to address unique learning needs.

Tiberi has also been outspoken about the need to eliminate unnecessary or wasteful government spending, pointing out that millions of tax dollars are being thrown away on dubious projects including the restoration of a statue of the Roman god Vulcan and for a "wood in transportation" program.

Being in the thick of things is nothing new for Tiberi. During his eight years in the Ohio House of Representatives (1993-2000) he rose to the position of Majority Leader, the third highest post in the House. Throughout his tenure he played a prominent role as a legislative leader who got things done.

Among other things, Tiberi was responsible for writing laws that created a DNA database to track violent criminals, established comprehensive lawsuit abuse reform, required performance audits of Ohio's 21 urban school districts, protected seniors from financial con artists and initiated nursing home consumer report cards. Tiberi also proposed bills that offered state income tax credits for charitable contributions and reformed Ohio's "death" or estate tax. He also led the fight to speed the widening of I-270's North Outerbelt.

Tiberi is past President of the Forest Park Civic Association in Columbus. He currently is a member of the American Red Cross Columbus Chapter Advisory Board, the Prevent Blindness America board and is an honorary member of the Kids Voting Ohio board. He is the co-founder of the Windsor Terrace Learning Center in Columbus and chaired the Columbus Italian Festival in 1999.

The 39-year-old Tiberi is a life-long resident of the Northland area of Columbus. He's a graduate of Northland High School and The Ohio State University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism in 1985 and was a member of the OSU Marching Band.

Prior to being elected to the Ohio House, he served for eight years as an assistant to then-Congressman John Kasich. He has also worked as a realtor with ReMax Achievers in southern Delaware County.

His work has gained him numerous honors, including more than a dozen statewide "Legislator of the Year" awards from groups ranging from the Buckeye State Sheriffs Association to the National Federation of Independent Business in Ohio. He's also been named a Watchdog of the Treasury for his efforts to protect taxpayers.

Tiberi and his wife Denice attend St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Columbus, where he is a lector.